We welcome Laureen Smith, founder of Tourmaline & Thyme Quilts. 

Defy Quilting Gravity

A fun and unexpected way to bring your quilts to life.

Are your quilts feeling a little… flat?

Not in a bad way—just in a “there might be more here” kind of way.

In this lecture, I’ll show you how to move beyond traditional flat quilting and start thinking in layers, texture, and dimension—without making things complicated or fussy.

We’ll explore simple ways to:

• Add depth and visual interest
• Rethink how and when elements are added
• Use techniques like appliqué, stitching, and layering in new ways

You’ll see real examples of how small changes can completely transform a quilt—and open the door to designs you may not have thought possible.

Because sometimes the biggest shift isn’t a new tool…it’s seeing your quilt differently.

ABOUT LAUREEN

Laureen Smith is a recovering corporate director, who is embracing her creative drive by picking up her needles again. Her mother and grandmother fostered her artistic talents with needlepoint, cross stitch, sewing, crocheting, and quilting from a very early age. She has combined her formal engineering education with her artistic passion to create new quilt patterns. She enjoys trying new techniques to express her ideas.

Laureen started quilting in earnest when she graduated from college. Never one to start slow, she machine-pieced and hand-quilted a king-sized quilt for her sister’s wedding present. Since then, she has attended workshops from several quilting idols such as Paul Nadelstern and Carol Doak. Most importantly, she has learned from fellow quilters and artisans including Pat Pauly and Patty Cline of Chestnut Bay Quilting. Laureen uses EQ8 to design most of her quilts. She has earned her Longarm Certification from APQS.

In addition to needlework, Laureen loves spending time with her family, playing with her two crazy dogs and demanding cat, gardening, hiking with friends, baking up a storm, reading historical fiction, and sipping a good wine. She is blessed to have a supportive husband, two amazing sons, a wonderful daughter, two adorable grandchildren. Laureen currently resides in Dover, DE.

Currently, she has designed patterns for several different fabric manufacturers. They are either available on the website or free from the manufacturers. She enjoys the challenge of receiving the fabrics, making new designs for their approval, and then developing the patterns to accompany them. Laureen also enjoys making quilts for charity quilt alongs.

Laureen has been published in QuiltWorld, McCalls Quilting, Fons and Porter Love of Quilting, and Quick + Easy Quilts magazines.

She would like to thank her mother for encouraging her needlework and her sister for being her constant cheerleader.